The present invention relates generally to a foldable infant stroller. More particularly, the present invention relates to a foldable infant stroller which is foldable in both front and side directions and can be mounted thereon a portable safety seat.
There are various kinds of infant strollers in the present market. A foldable infant stroller made to decrease the occupying volume while not in use is one of them. Strollers of this kind are the most ones. They can be divided into some categories such as the following: Strollers which are complicated in structure but comfortable while using are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,057 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,924. Strollers which are simple in structure but foldable for downsizing after using and being easily portable are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,061. Foldable strollers such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,057 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,924 are complicated in structure. The main structure comprises a pair of front frames, a pair of rear frames, a grasp frames and a seat frame, wherein the seat frame is located between the front and rear frames. The grasp frame and the rear frames are folded and then moved closer to the front frames when folding the stroller. That is, the infant stroller is collapsible in the side direction by getting the front and rear frames closer but can not be downsized in the front direction by getting both front and both rear frames closer, because the seat frame is constructed between them. Foldable strollers such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,061 are comparatively simple in structure. The main structure comprises a pair of front frames, a pair of rear frames, a pair of grasp frames and a pair of seat frames, wherein the seat is formed by directly putting a cloth between the front and rear frames. Both front frames and rear frames are collapsible in both front direction and side direction for further downsizing. Thus, this kind of stroller is simpler and lighter and easy to carry out, which is generally called the umbrella stroller.
In many countries, the infant is obliged to seated in an auxiliary safety seat while transporting it by automobiles under some regulations. The adult must take an auxiliary safety seat for transporting the baby and a stroller for walking the baby around after arrival. In the case of taking a public transportation, for example a bus, it becomes more annoying that the adult must put the infant readily on the stroller first, push the stroller with one hand and then carry the auxiliary safety seat with another hand. Therefore, to carry both the auxiliary safety seat and the stroller is commonly encountered. Most of the parents choose an umbrella stroller with small and light characteristics to lessen their carrying burdens.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,547, for example, it disclosed a child safety seat, which comprises a seat provided for carrying a child having a seat belt on it and a foldable wheeled member connected under the seat provided for staying on one position to facilitate using as a child safety seat and another position to facilitate using as a stroller. With these elements, this child a safety seat combines the functions of both safety seat and a stroller together in order to solve the aforementioned annoying carrying problems. Unfortunately, this child safety seat only combined both safety seat and stroller functions, but did not allow simultaneous use of both functions impossible. Furthermore, the seat element of it is not foldable, which may not be suitable for a parent who only needs only one stroller that is both small and light-weight.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,798, it disclosed a child stroller and infant carrier system, which comprises a front safety rod on which an infant carrier separably placed from it. However, this foldable stroller is still complicated in structure. When the functions of both stroller and infant carrier are needed simultaneously, this kind of structure is not suitable anymore. Accordingly, the umbrella stroller disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,061, both have a pair of front and rear frames which can mutually moving close to each other as viewed from front face. This causes the fixed front safety rod, usually in the shape of xe2x80x98Uxe2x80x99, unable to be mounted on the stroller and, thus, making them useful only as stroller and safety seat individually.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the present invention so disclosed in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Accordingly, the present invention provides mainly a front protect structure of infant stroller, especially, a front protect structure which can change to both the use position and the parking position according to the change of the use position of the infant stroller.
In order to meet the object of the present invention, which comprising: a front protect structure connected to both front frames. The front protect structure further comprises a pair of handrails, a pair of supporting frames and a connecting rod, wherein the connecting rods are movably connected between these two supporting rods. When the stroller is folded from left to right, or from right to left, the supporting rods slide along the connecting rods connecting with and get closer to each other. Similarly, when the stroller is unfolded from left to right, or from right to left, the supporting rods slide along the connecting rods connecting with and leave from each other, and the connecting rod is connected to the supporting rods to form the front protect frame of the stroller.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stroller structure which can be mounted with a automobile safety seat thereon and thus providing the dual functions of automobile safety seat and stroller. The stroller has a front protect frame provided for the alternative mounting of the automobile safety seat. Infants are put on safety seat when they are transported by vehicle and are still keep on the safety seat by putting the safety seat directly on the stroller. The stroller is still the moving vehicle of carrying the infant. Therefore, parents can choose a stroller having simple structure to accompany with a safety seat when going outside. The stroller and the safety seat unquestionably can also be use individually.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the contribution of the present invention to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the disclosed specific embodiment may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purpose of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent methods and structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.